For Hope and Forgiveness
by Tanzen
Summary: Katniss' Wedding Day. She is about to walk down the isle and someone unexpected shows up. The first chapter is a lot of background but the story will move on past that! Please enjoy!


**Hi, here is my story.**

** I don't own anything.**

I stared at myself in the mirror. It is probably the first time in the past 10 years, I haven't been able to look at myself for more than 5 seconds. I was never that girl who checks herself out in a mirror whenever one is near. It's just now, I can't face the scares that my life has left behind. They're wicked monuments to a past life and suffering. Today is different, it is the reaping day. But on this reaping day, I am getting married. I am taking back that day, it is now mine and my new life will start where my last one ended. Ten years ago today, I was picked to go back in the area for the second time.

I look genuinely beautiful. I never thought I would feel or look so comfortable in a dress. He did it again. My ghost of a friend who always seems to pop up in my life, even though he is gone, Cinna, has done it again. It arrived about a year ago, with a note:

Dear Katniss,

If you are reading this note, I know I am no longer with you. I created this dress for your wedding day, not the capital's wedding for you. I knew that someday in the future you may grow to love or realize that you loved him all along. If you do decided to get married this is the dress you should do it in. I wanted you to have a dress that was all you for this day because that is what it should be, yours. Best wishes, Girl on Fire. Remember I am still betting on you.

Yours,

Cinna

The dress is very simple. It is ivory instead of white and complemented my skin tone perfectly. It is strapless and has a sweetheart neckline. It is lightly corseted and ended right before my hips and from there was a light chiffon-like fabric that flow to just above my knees. He knew I couldn't stand long dresses, like the one the capital is putt me in. The shoes are ivory flats with gold rhinestones. I had my hair in my signature braid with white rose buds weaved in and out of it. I look stunning. I couldn't help but smile like a little girl. I am getting married. Something that I never thought would happen. It took 8 years for me to agree and 2 years for Peeta and me to get our relationship back on track. I know without a doubt that he loves me and I love him.

I am not going to say it wasn't easy, it was hard. After the rebellion, we would both wake up with night-terrors. The whole time, we were unsure of how we felt or how the other did and we didn't know how to interact with one another. Our world for those two years was tainted by the capital. Nothing seemed truly real, the memories of the people we lost haunted us in our dreams and waking hours. Everywhere I looked I saw Prim. Peeta struggled more than I did. I can't imagine struggling to decide what is real and what is not. He still sometimes struggles but very rarely. When he does, he tenses up and I know he is fighting to not hurt me. I can't imagine feeling like you want to or might hurt the one person you love and have no control over it.

Peeta asked me to marry him 6 years ago. He would ask once every year since then, on the Reaping day. Last year I finally said yes. I was relatively happy for the first time in 10 years. I knew that if I truly wanted to move on, I needed him by my side forever. Although I know that he would be there whether or not we were married. This was what he wanted and I needed to give it to him. Now he can be mine and I can be his, without doubt.

When word got out about the engagement, the country demanded that we had it published. Apparently, it was unfair that they were robbed of our wedding 10 years ago. We agreed to have our wedding taped and played for the citizens, as another sign of hope for after the Rebellion. If the hospitals and equalizing of supplies and resources wasn't enough to prove the difference between then and now, our wedding would symbolize hope for our generation. A couple so damaged by war, can be happy once again.

I decided on two weddings, one for the capital and one for us. Today was the day we picked. It is now a national holiday to mourn the losses of the Hunger games and the Rebellion. The list of every tribute is read aloud in memory of them. Families speak about lost loved ones and a video montage is shows each of them. It only seems right to start our lives together on this day, a day that brought us together and tore us apart.

The Capital's wedding is in a month. I will be wearing a gaudy dress. I hate it. I hate that I must do it. They will never leave us alone now. I can only imagine if we have children how they would react. Maybe we are getting into bed with the devil, I told Peeta once. He said, "no, think of it as proving they didn't change us. And that things can grow after everything is destroyed." The wedding will have many big names attending, which is another reason I don't like it. I enjoy being removed from the spotlight and politics. Whenever I think of politics I think of blood and roses.

This wedding will consist of my mother, Haymitch, Greasey Sae, her granddaughter, Annie, baby Finn, Johanna and a few other District 12 we grew to know. It is very small and person, just the way a wedding in district 12 should be.

As I stared at myself, there was a knock on the door behind me. It didn't quite register I was lost in thought. After a moment I realized the person hadn't said anything. I looked in the mirror and behind me wasn't my mother as I had suspected but…Gale.


End file.
